HOLD LAST RITES FOR ROLLA JONES
Funeral services were held this
afternoon at the Smith Funeral home
for Rolla Jones of Spokane, Route 6.
He was an early Spokane pioneer and
the man who put in the city's first
water system and pumps.
The pumps were located at the site
of the old Echo mill, which until recent years stood across the Great
Northern tracks at Howard street.
This was in the early 80's, according
to Samuel Glasgow, one of the original owners of the Centennial flour
mill.
Built Upriver
"Mr. Jones was superintendent of
the water department at the time of
the big fire in August, 1889," said Mr.
Glasgow. "In the early '90s, he built
the present Upriver dam, east of Minnehaha park. The late F. Lewis Clark, who owned considerable property in the vicinity of Yardley, was interested in building up that section."
For many years Mr. Jones has conducted a nursery at his place on Route
6, north of the river, just east of the
city limits.
The chapel services were well attended with quite a number of Spokane pioneers present to pay their final respects to Mr. Jones, who died
Tuesday at a local hospital at the
age of 71. Many beautiful floral tributes were displayed at the chapel
The service was the impressive ritual of the Odd Fellows with Dr. Joel Harper offering the opening prayer. The music was an organ prelude, "Shall
We Meet Beyond the River?" and postlude, "Safe in the Arms of Jesus." Burial was in Fairmount with Dr. Harper officiating.